Winter campaign at Cook Haven, Sol 3512 - 3599 (December 13, 2013 - March 10, 2014) Options

[walfy]

Does that trail lead down-slope? I couldn't figure it out by a quick study of the images. If the rock is downhill from its origin, that would explain part of the distance it traveled – maybe.

[atomoid]

I never could find any trail of crumbs but the resting place is clearly downslope, apparently originating upslope on the crushed area as Moe pointed out. just how far that is, vertically as well, has proven difficult to pin down..

[mhoward]

Interesting; I think there's more than a few pebbles disturbed. Here's a second attempt at a comparison, and you can see it looks like some bedrock has been disturbed (second circled area). (EDIT: Oops... actually not. On closer inspection, looks like it's just some dirt that got spread on the bedrock.)

Pinnacle Island is more or less northeast of the rover, so it's probably downslope.


MERBSol3528-3540PinnacleIslandComparison2 on Flickr

[mhoward]

Oops... I guess I have to retract the previous post. On closer inspection, it just looks like some dirt got spread on the bedrock. Oh well! Mystery definitely not solved.

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[fredk]

To me it just looks like the bedrock you're pointing to has had soil scattered onto it from the bottom direction on your image as PI skidded past.

Edit: you retracted before I finished posting!

I suppose that a loose piece of rock positioned just right as a wheel goes over it could be spat out at considerable speed, since the weight on the rock could be substantial. And that's even though the rover moves very slowly.

[mhoward]

Yep... my bad.

[marsophile]

... apparently originating upslope on the crushed area ...

That image is from Sol 3516. In Sol 3528 images, P.I. has not yet reached its destination, so that particular disturbed area could not be the origin of P.I. (EDIT: Unless it traveled very slowly.)

[Explorer1]

Steve Squyres on the Opportunity 10 year event:
2 theories about this rock's origin: either flicked by the wheels somehow, or a piece of new(!) crater ejecta: lots of sulfur, and apparently twice as much manganese as anything seen so far!

[serpens]

High manganese deposited along a fracture implies hydrothermal deposition.

[dvandorn]

Would manganese deposited hydrothermally be suspended in water in the form of a manganese salt? Or are there more complex chemical interactions which would keep manganese in suspension and then initiate its precipitation out of solution? And would this imply warm, or even hot water (i.e., would manganese come out of solution as the water cooled)?

-the other Doug

[Explorer1]

It's archived here:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/42795898

Skip to 25:20 for his comments on this rock/ejecta/thing. Squyres is skeptical of the ejecta theory, though Hirise would make certain...

[Pando]

Interesting; I think there's more than a few pebbles disturbed. Here's a second attempt at a comparison

In mhoward's comparison image, looks like there is a second rock as well (circled red) that wasn't there earlier.

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[mhoward]

You're right, Pando! Makes one wonder what else is around. I tried a few crazy comparisons between Navcam and Pancam images but haven't spotted any other bits yet.

[TheAnt]

This a time to play the 'Rolling stones' perhaps. =)

[Zelenyikot]

The trace of "rolling stone"

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